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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 612 EAN: 9780743260169 ISBN: 0743260163 Label: Scribner Manufacturer: Scribner Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 224 Publication Date: September 15, 2005 Publisher: Scribner Studio: Scribner Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: How do imperceptibly small differences in the environment change one's behavior? What is the anatomy of a bad mood? Does stress shrink our brains? What does People magazine's list of America's "50 Most Beautiful People" teach us about nature and nurture? What makes one organism sexy to another? What makes one orgasm different from another? Who will be the winner in the genetic war between the sexes? Welcome to Monkeyluv, a curious and entertaining collection of essays about the human animal in all its fascinating variety, from Robert M. Sapolsky, America's most beloved neurobiologist/primatologist. Organized into three sections, each tackling a Big Question in natural science, Monkeyluv offers a lively exploration of the influence of genes and the environment on behavior; the social and political -- and, of course, sexual -- implications of behavioral biology; and society's shaping of the individual. From the mating rituals of prairie dogs to the practice of religion in the rain forest, the secretion of pheromones to bugs in the brain, Sapolsky brilliantly synthesizes cutting-edge scientific research with wry, erudite observations about the enormous complexity of simply being human. Thoughtful, engaging, and infused with pop-cultural insights, this collection will appeal to the inner monkey in all of us. Download Description: "The human animal in all its fascinating quirks of nature is showcased in this thoughtful and entertaining essay collection from America's most beloved neurobiologist/primatologist. In these essays -- updated for this volume -- Robert M. Sapolsky once again applies his curiosity, compassion, and generous insight into the human condition to make a case for the science of behavioral biology that tells us who we are, why we are, and how we are. The first section, ""Genes and Who We Are,"" addresses the physiology of genes, featuring a dissertation on ""The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World"" and tackling the vital question: How did they wind up on the list? Another essay explains the invisible genetic warfare that takes place between men and women as they conceive a baby and that continues as the fetus develops. As Sapolsky says, ""Warning: this essay does not make pleasant wedding-night reading."" The second section, ""Our Bodies and Who We Are,"" focuses on our physical natures and dwells on such diverse topics as why dreams are in fact dreamlike, why we are sexually attracted to one another, and why Alzheimer's disease tends to be a postmenopausal phenomenon. As Sapolsky writes, ""Sometimes, all you need to do is think a thought and you change the functioning of virtually every cell in your body."" In the third section, ""Society and Who We Are,"" Sapolsky takes his interdisciplinary curiosity out into the wilds of civilization and poses such interesting questions as: When and why do our preferences in food become fixed? Why do desert cultures tend to be monotheistic and sexually repressed, whereas rainforest cultures tend to be sexually relaxed and polytheistic? Why do different cultures think differently about dead bodies? ""We are shaped by the sort of society in which we live,"" Sapolsky tells us, ""and we would not be the same person if we had grown up elsewhere."" In each of these investigations, we see a brilliant mind synthesizing his and others' research in a thoughtful, engaging, and witty voice that reveals the enormous complexity of simply being human. Charming and erudite in equal measure, this collection will appeal to the inner monkey in all of us. " Average Rating:
 Rating:  - VariableThis collection of essays starts out by rehashing nature/nurture arguments that ought to be widely understood by now, but then becomes mostly entertaining and occasionally quite informative. He mentions one interesting study (Cunningham and Russell, "Egg investment is influenced by male attractiveness in the mallard)) which questions sexual selection arguments put forward by Geoffrey Miller and others about animals selecting mates with better genes. The study shows that female Mallards produce ... Read More Rating: - Too much fun for such a serious bookNo one comes colose to sapolsky in having fun with genetics and evolutionary science. This set of essays is just a blast. Rating: - no surpriseIt should come as no surprise that Monkeyluv, as with all of Sapolsky's books, is a masterpiece. There is no better science writer of our day. Rating: - DelightfulI have never read anything by Sapolsky before. Now that I have he goes right to the top of my list with Richard Dawkins and Desmond Morris. Rating: - Great book about your brain and your body in the worldI absolutely LOVED this book! I read it very quickly and had trouble putting it down. It is fascinating, educational, funny, enjoyable and well written about complex issues. Sapolsky, who is the author of A Primate's Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, is a professor of biology and neurology at Stanford and a recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant. I found his genius not only to be in his insight and ability to frame questions and pursue their answers, ... Read More 
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